Manhood
by Ash The Wanderer
Summary: A daringly different Gohan story, inspired and derived from a Dean Koontz novel. In the wake of Cell, Gohan makes a friend...but it may lead to things you could never believe. You may never look at Son Gohan the same way again.


Manhood ****

Manhood

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Ok, now before you read this story, I just want to warn you, especially Gohan fans. You will most likely want to decry what happens in this story, which I will add, was inspired by a scene in the book The Voice of the Night, by Dean Koontz, would never happen, that Gohan is not like that, that this is outrageously OOC, and so on.

However, in the fact of Cell's defeat, it is quite clear that Gohan would most likely feel responsible for his father's death, and in a small way, he is. However, he still loves his father deeply. Add to that that he does have saiya-jin blood, and how innately savage and vicious saiya-jins are. And add to that that he's an adolescent, a teenager, a time of great change and strange feelings.

And of course, everyone has a dark side to their soul. Even Son Gohan.

Seem more likely now?

It was a mistake from the beginning, although hindsight never seemed available when it was most needed. Indeed, as Gohan watched the men try to yank the huge bleeding fish out of the water with their nets and lines, he should have known it could have come to this. He was a smart kid. He could notice things.

But he didn't. For his own reasons, he hadn't. Just like anyone else. And as his stomach boiled, as the men whooped their joy, and as Allen tried to block out what was happening even more, Gohan was beginning to loathe that.

Perhaps the beginning that led to this tragic happening wasn't really a mistake. Indeed, it was a good thing (even was then).

Gohan never had many friends. His life had tossed him onto the battlefield early and Gohan rarely got to leave it for the next several years. There was always a new threat, a new goal. Saiya-jins. Aliens. Androids.

Cell.

He'd been such a fool.

Then again, at the time, there was really no way around it. When his boiling anger had finally exploded, throwing his power into the stratosphere as he was elevated beyond his father and all others by reaching the stage beyond Super Saiya-jin, he could have taken two paths. He could have been relentless or sadistic.

He had chosen sadistic.

In retrospect, relentless would have worked just as well. Cell would have been just as humuliated and destroyed if Gohan had turned the dial up to maximum and used his superior power to wipe Cell from the face of the earth. Those who had been killed would have been just as avenged. The world would have still been saved.

But he couldn't take that path. Not after all that Cell had done. He had been a monster, and his blood had been screaming for Gohan to not just destroy Cell, but to rub his face in it. To bring as much pain apon his body as Cell had brought apon the earth.

He'd been a fool.

And now his father was dead because of it. Sacrificing himself to save the earth…a futile sacrifice in the end. Gohan had finished the job in his father's name…but it didn't change what had happened. He could have destroyed Cell. Instead he had to make him suffer.

And now his father was dead.

It was his fault.

And nothing had made that more obvious then his mother's grief when he'd had to bring her the news. Why had he had to cause Cell pain? In the end, all it did was cause him and all he cared about far greater pain.

Such a fool.

But…slowly Gohan had begun to learn how to deal with it, in the only ways he could. He forsook training, sick of the art that had robbed him of many precious things and given things back that ultimately mattered nothing. He threw himself into the studying that his mother always wanted him to do. His mother was dealing with her grief her own way, along with tending her new baby. His father's last gift. Gohan didn't think about it much though. It reminded him of too many things.

Chi Chi had looked into sending Gohan to school to continue his education, but after several tries she had decided to continue home schooling him for the moment. It hadn't been much fun for Gohan, as he was forced to deal with several groups of new people before Chi Chi had decided that she could educate him better. But in the end, one good thing had come of it: he'd met Allen.

Those who don't seem to fit in tend to gravitate towards each other, and so had Allen and Gohan. Although Gohan had only attended Allen's school for two weeks, he had decided to keep in touch with the boy. Chi Chi, normally strict on who Gohan associated with (she still had a slight dislike for Piccolo), was surprisingly open on letting Gohan becomes friends with Allen. Perhaps she felt her own guilt in the ways she had treated Gohan, trying so hard to yank him in the direction of education while his father was gently pulling him towards the fights that always seemed to be in his life. But with his Dad gone, Chi Chi had loosened, just a bit. Enough for Gohan.

Allen was an American living in Japan, brought here by his mother, a woman working in some business Allen wasn't too clear about. His father lived with them, although he was "currently looking for employment", as Allen put it. Allen clearly got his looks from his mother, as well as his build: he was a frail, willowy boy with thin arm and legs, bony fingers, somewhat greasy looking reddish-blonde hair and a gawky, awkward face hidden behind glasses. At least the glasses were rather thin.

He and Allen had their own interests, although they shared a few. Allen taught Gohan how to play chess and backgammon, and Gohan taught Allen a few things about the wilderness, although it was clear Allen prefered to be indoors. Gohan had offered to teach Allen a few things about martial arts, but Allen had politely declined. It was clear Allen was not destined to be the atheletic type, but that didn't bother Gohan. Everyone had their quirks and tastes.

And their own ways about them. Gohan had picked it up pretty clearly after being friends with Allen for a month: Allen was not fond of his father.

Oh, he didn't hate him. But he and his father, Dale, were even more different then him and Gohan. Dale, to put it one way, bled the very essense of macho. He watched sports all the time, went out to bars, read nothing but stuff involving sports, hunting, and areas in that genre, and was generally what someone might call "A man's man".

Gohan also found him to be a tad thick, blunt, rude, and immature. One could comment on whatever he wanted, but as they said, "It is better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool then to open one's mouth and remove all doubt". Dale had apparently never heard of this phrase and most likely would not have believed it, as he would talk about anything he pleased as if it was the most informed view in the world. It wasn't. Mostly it was ignorance and personel prejudice in which a few grains of truth and half-truths lay. Of course, Dale hung out with a group of men who were just like him, so he never had anything show him that his thinking might need some re-thinking. And that, ironically, led to the biggest problem. It was clear Dale wanted his son to be among that group.

And Gohan knew it wasn't going to happen. That wasn't Allen. He didn't have the right body, the right looks, the right tastes, and above all else, the right mindset. Allen was not destined to be outside hunting deer. He was destined to be inside doing something quiet.

Allen knew it.

Gohan knew it.

Dale didn't. And even if it was told to him, he wouldn't get it.

And so it went on. Dale made his son read his magazines and watch his shows, and Allen pretended to go along and make a half-hearted show of liking it. But Allen hated the whole idea of spending one's afternoons walking around trying to kill things or running around a field clutching an oval shaped ball. He prefered to read, or work on his computer.

But Dale wouldn't quit. His intentions, in the end, weren't bad, but the fact that he just wouldn't understand his son was. Allen may have taken after his mother, but she was rarely around, always working hard on some new deal. Gohan was pretty sure that Dale supported Gohan's friendship because Gohan looked like the type who might follow some of his paths. Gohan was sure he could excel at any sport if he chose to, even without cheating, but he was about as interested in it as Allen.

Perhaps it was because of this that Gohan should have realized the fishing trip was a mistake.

But when Allen had asked him, he could have never said no. Gohan could see it in his eyes. On this trip, Allen would literally be a fish out of water, pardon the pun. His Dad's "people" would surround him. Allen may have just been asking Gohan, as a friend, if he wanted to accompany him on a day that could provide amusement, but the deeper meaning was that he wanted Gohan to be his anchor. He wanted to be with someone like him.

Why Allen was so scared of being surrounded by his father's kind, especially on a fishing trip, Gohan hadn't understood at the time. Fishing seemed ok. His own father had taken him fishing, both by diving into the water and catching the fish by hand, or by laying by the water with the fishing pole. It had always struck him as a bonding experience of sorts.

Gohan started to learn the difference, and the source of Allen's fears, about five minutes after they had gotten on the boat, a nice sized white ship called the _Andrea Wing._

First of all, his father didn't drink.

He should have seen it coming. Dale's kind always saw the combination of a sport and alcohol as a sure way to make an experience even grander. From the moment the ship set out, Dale and his friends had started drinking.

Second of all, his father and these people, including Allen's father, were about as different as Goku as night and day. Gohan always found his father, outside of battle, to be quiet and reserved, provided he wasn't showing euthusiasm towards food, training, or a friendly fight. Plus, even Gohan had to admit, he was a tad naïve.

These men weren't. They were loud, boisterous, and would not shut up. Especially about women. Gohan had never heard any slang terms for the female genitalia, but after an hour, he was utterly blown away by how many there were, and how casually the men used them. They used them in jokes. They used them in conversations. They used them, along with just about every other curse word in the book, for reasons no other then the sake of using them. Gohan never knew the word "fuck" could be so versitile.

But worst of all was Allen. He had looked ill since the ship had set out, first from seasickness and then from the atmosphere. Gohan also felt uneasy, but he hid it better then Allen.

Perhaps it would have been better if he hadn't, for Dale and his friends mistook this as "their colours". First, one of them had offered him a beer. Second, one of them had clearly asked if he had gotten any "pussy" lately (Gohan had thought he was asking if he had recently gotten a cat. How amusing they had found that! Gohan still couldn't believe they had asked him that. He wasn't even thirteen yet! What a thing to say!).

And the final kicker was that the fish were not biting. With nothing to catch, the atmosphere grew worse and worse, at least to Gohan and Allen. The men were having a ball, with their alcohol and their "macho" conversations.

"Hey Gohan, have you ever played Legend of Zelda?" Allen suddenly asked. Gohan looked over.

"No, why?"

"It's pretty cool!" Allen said, and then launched into a long soliquary about a series of games Gohan knew nothing about. He saw Allen's purpose: he was looking for an escape. Plus, the games sounded interesting. Maybe he should try and talk his mother into getting one of them.

Gohan had been listening for about ten minutes when he first noticed it.

It was just one of them at first, Gohan couldn't remember his name, Stan or Sturn or something. He'd been one of the loudest men with the conversations they had been having. Now however, he was looking at the two boy's conversation on video games. And he didn't look very happy. In fact, there was a bit of what looked like disgust.

The next time, it was four of the seven looking at him, including Dale. Now Dale was the one who looked unhappy. The rest had seemed to find some kind of amusement in their observation.

Then Dale spoke.

"Allen, is it possible you could leave the computer geek talk at home, for once?" Dale said. Allen stopped his soliquary of some guy named Link and his eternal war with some evil guy named Ganon and looked over to his father.

"………Sure Dad." Allen said, in a tone so softly Gohan had trouble hearing him.

"Come on, why don't you…" Dale was saying.

Whatever Dale had planned to say was forever lost to time then, as it was about then the sharks showed up.

Later, Gohan wondered why the sharks had come along. Concidence? Territory? Had one of Dale's friends, maybe Stan or Sturn or whatever, been dumping _chum_ in the water while Gohan wasn't looking? Whatever reason, they had shown up.

And the men went into action as soon as one of them saw them, as they stood up and started chatting excitely, mostly stuff about fish Gohan didn't understand.

"They're not gonna…" Gohan said.

"No…sharks are the fish equivilant of junk. You can't get trophies from them, or eat them." Allen said.

Gohan looked back at the men, who seemed to have no idea about what Allen had just said. They were looking at the sharks as if they were made of pure gold.

The air stank of alcohol.

Then one of the lines jerked violently.

"He took it!" one of the men roared, and grabbed the line as the other men cheered and whooped. Gohan glanced back at Allen. Allen looked even sicker.

"Then what are they doing?"

"Catching it." Allen said in a weak, dead tone.

"But why?"

"Because they have to. They feel the shark has issued a direct challenge to them. And they're not gonna back down. That would be…wimpy." Allen said. The last word almost sounded like a sob.

Gohan looked back as the man yanked, testing his strength against the fish that had come looking for a snack and found itself in a battle.

The sheer joy…in such pointlessness…

Gohan began to feel ill as well.

And it only increased when one of the men broke away, ran over a box lying on the deck, and opened it up and pulled out a gun.

The shark.

In terms of a pure predator, nature has perhaps created nothing better, nothing more lethal. Sharks were around during the time of the dinosaurs, and although the mightiest of their numbers may have fallen along with those gigantic beasts, nearly all of them had survived, and continued on through all the changes. Whether man was hairy and swinging through the trees or driving down a highway in a business suit in between gleaming skyscrapers, it made no difference to the shark. They continued to survive.

And what gifts for survival they had! A body perfectly designed to move through the water, quickly and efficiantly. Two or three rows of razor sharp teeth that constantly regrew to replace the ones broken and lost in combat. Senses honed over countless aeons to sense prey. The slightest movement drew a shark. And when it came to wounded prey…no animal could track down and kill like a shark. Their ability to sense blood was unequaled. And above all else, they had one of the most honed and lethal senses of instinct in the world. When it came to the degree of deadly, no one ranked higher then a shark. It didn't matter to the shark if you were a small fish or a big human. Enter its world and you are prey. Humans had been devoured by sharks and others would be in the future.

But…despite all this, it is not the shark's fault. The shark holds no malice in its heart. It strikes and kills to feed, or to protect its territory or whatever it's mind had deemed important. The shark would attack anything it deemed a threat…but only because it deemed it a threat.

But man…man is not like that. It will not just attack to feed or to protect itself. It will attack for whatever reason its mind can come up with. One of the curses of a high intellect is that one can not only conceive of attacking for no reason, but doing it. And enjoying it.

And only mankind can think of cheating to win. Against a shark in the water, you stand no chance.

But only man could trick the shark into swallowing a sharp hook that would yank the shark out of the water. And out of water, the shark is as vunerable as a man in shark-infested water.

Sharks will not drag you into your water for no reason other then to kill you. Mankind…will.

And only mankind will build apon its cheating. It's one thing to hook a shark and try to yank it up. It's another thing to shoot a shark while it can't get away.

And that was exactly what Stan (or was it Sturn) did, as he leaned over and fired into the water.

The shark's struggles grew even fiercer as it was wounded. And it was about this time that Allen turned away and put his hands over his ears, trying to block it out.

"C'mon, yank it out before the other sharks come and rip it to shreds!" one of the men yelled.

"I'm trying! Shoot it again!" yelled the man trying to yank the shark up. Stan or Sturn leaned over and did just that.

The shark kept fighting, but its struggles grew more and more sluggish as the man yanked it back. Other men ran and grabbed nets, spears, and anything they could to bring the fish up.

And eventually they managed to haul the seven foot fish up and onto the ship, where it crashed to the deck. Blood began to run everywhere.

"Yee hah! Good one!" Dale whooped.

And then the shark began thrashing furiously again, spraying blood and foam over everything in range. Gohan watched in shock as it splattered on him. Allen began to whimper.

"KILL THE DAMN THING!"

The men grabbed tools and converged, stabbing, slashing, and clubbing at the shark.

Gohan watched in sheer horror.

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This…is…insane. There's no point in this at all…this slaughter is just…madness…and they're...loving it. It's like the killing of an innocent animal is the greatest kick…dear kami, a demon inspires these people! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!

And then Stan or Sturn took a step back and fired one last time. The shark gave one last spasm and collasped, it's body ruined by weapon blows, blasts, and the barbed hook in its mouth.

Gohan felt specks of gore spray across his face.

"Yeah!" one of the men said, snatching up one of the beers and drinking it down.

"Hey, I hear these sharks will eat anything. Maybe there's a gold coin in it or something!"

"Get out, you'll just find fish shit."

"Only one way!"

And one of the men produced a machete and with one long slash, split the shark from end to end.

The sound of destroyed organs, entrails, and digested food was the last straw for Allen, as he suddenly raced away. Gohan turned as Allen leaned over the side and began to vomit.

And the dead silence fell over the men as Allen puked his guts.

And then the snickers started, as the men began to point and whisper jokes. The only one who wasn't happy or amused was Dale. Indeed, he looked quite angry.

Dale started walking, pushing past Gohan and heading to Allen, who looked quite stunned and upset.

"You…" was all Gohan managed to hear clearly before Dale turned his back and began to berate Allen.

"What a pussy." One of the men said.

"Probably a queer." Another added, and the group began to laugh amongst themselves again.

"Fucking wimp."

Gohan looked back at Dale, who was still berating Allen. And Gohan didn't need to hear what he was saying to know. Dale was blasting his son because his son had…embarrassed him.

The anger woke up and began to stir. Gohan had had enough. He reached Dale in four big steps.

"I swear you don't have a damn di-"

"Shut up!"

Dale turned away as Gohan angrily yelled at him.

"What?"

"You do that that that…act of utter BARBARITY and you dare try and judge HIM? SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Gohan yelled, his anger flaring up. He'd had enough.

Dale was silent, amazed that Gohan had just exploded.

And then the other group of men exploded in laughter. Gohan's head snapped around.

"They stick together…!"

"Wimps with wimps…!"

"Never be men…"

Gohan's anger stirred more. He had more power in his pinkie then these men could ever hope to achieve in their lifetimes. He could break them without breaking a sweat.

Dale was still silent. Allen had taken advantage of the attention being focussed on Gohan to get away.

"Hey Gofen or whatever…what's your dad do?" one of the men said, his words slightly slurred. The alcohol was beginning to catch up with them.

"It's Gohan. Why?"

"I was just wondering…was he a steel worker or something?"

More guffaws and laughs. The stink of the eviserated shark was really beginning to make the air reek.

"No…he's…dead. He died on his…job…what does that have to do…?"

"Because I wondered…if you're like this…HOW MUCH OF A PUSSY WAS HE? AHAHAHAHAHHAHA!"

The laughter exploded once more.

Gohan's eyes flashed green as he stared at the men laughing.

The camel's back snapped.

"Shut up."

Gohan spoke his words quietly, but they rang around the boat like thunder. The men stopped laughing.

Gohan gestured to the corpse of the shark.

"Is THIS what defines a man for you? This pointless death, this gorey mess in front of me? You think it makes you a man because you can haul a shark up and kill it? Is this the way manhood is judged?" Gohan said, his voice low and angry.

Allen stared at Gohan. Something was off. Gohan's entire demeaner had changed.

He didn't and couldn't have know what had happened. It had happened once before, on the battlefield with Cell. Gohan the person was gone. Gohan the half-saiya-jin was coming out.

"I can take insults, especially from a bunch who would give backwater inbred hicks a good name, but don't you EVER question my father! He was more of a man then any of you ever could be!" Gohan snapped. He looked down at the shark body again.

"But…if that is the way you want to see it…fine."

And then Gohan reached down and began pulling off his blood-speckled shirt. The men continued to stare at him.

"What, you wanna pick a fight with us?" Stan or Sturn asked. Gohan pulled off his shoes.

"No. This mess is your scale for who a man is? You think because I decry it, I'm something to be mocked, and my father is something to be mocked? So be it. This mess is being a man? I'll do you one better."

And then Gohan snatched up a pair of goggles nearby, putting them on as he leapt up on the side of the boat.

"I'll catch my own shark. But I'll do it with my BARE HANDS."

And then the deck exploded, mostly with "Don't you crazy kid!" and other variations of that. Allen was the only one who didn't say anything, as he was watching Gohan with wide, unbeliving eyes.

And then Gohan didn't hear anything else, as he dove off the side into the water.

Gohan wasn't worried on his ability to swim, or if he would run out of air. As he dove deeper into the water, his mind was focussed and intent on one thing. This same mindset had given him the power and will to defeat Cell. Now he had to fight a new battle, this time in honour of his father. Enough was enough.

He saw various shapes darting past him, sharks trying to find the last few scraps of the _chum_ or whatever had attracted them to the area around the boat in the first place. Gohan grit his teeth. He wasn't concerned on the actions he would have to take. He was just concerned about doing it.

His father was too great a man to have his name dragged through the mud by a bunch of ignorant macho men who thought they were the hottest shit in the world. You could flush shit…but Gohan prefered his idea, and he had the inferno within him to do it.

He got ready to pick a target.

And suddenly, he sensed it.

And so did the sharks, and they were suddenly all gone. They knew, even better then him, that hanging around was a bad idea.

And then he saw it, a dark shape flowing past him.

It was big. Really big. Definately bigger then the ones Gohan had sensed swimming near him seconds ago.

And Gohan understood. The reason the fish weren't biting was because there were no fish. That was why all the sharks had been drawn. They were looking for food as well. But for whatever reason, be they closer, faster, or whatever, the smaller ones had reached it first, only to find nothing but man's trickery.

And then the big one had arrived from the dark depths. It was clear that this shark was definitely a lord in this area. The other sharks had fled for their lives. If a shark this size was drawn by this, it must be really hungry.

Gohan stared at it.

And then he scissored his right canine over his tongue, cutting into the delicate flesh. And then he opened his mouth. Stinging salt water filled it. Fresh blood.

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Come and get me.

The reaction was instantaneous, as the shark turned around immediately and made a beeline straight for Gohan.

Gohan clenched his teeth as more water-diluted blood floated out from between his teeth.

The shark was on him.

Gohan shoved to the side as it snapped at him, grabbing at the shark as it barely missed biting his foot off. His fingers couldn't find a grip, and it swam past him. But it immediately turned around and lanced at him again.

Gohan jerked above it, trying for the fin. It slipped out of his grip again, and the abrupt twist sent him spinning around. His lungs began to ask for more air.

Gohan turned around as the shark charged at him again. No more.

The teeth slashed at him, but Gohan was nowhere near them as he grabbed the shark's snout and held on, keeping his legs and body away from the snapping teeth. He clenched his fist and began to punch the shark as hard as he could.

The shark began to thrash, but Gohan held on as he was jerked and yanked all over the water. 

Gohan caught a glimpse of the black alien eye of the shark. Saw the killing instinct within.

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You want to devour me?

Gohan reared back and closed his teeth on the shark's snout.

__

We will see who gets devoured!

New blood stained the water as Gohan tore into the shark. His fingers found a purchase and began to rip and tear, pulling out chunks of gore as Gohan gave himself fully to his saiya-jin savagery.

The shark thrashed, violently and wildly, as Gohan meticulously tore him apart, tearing, ripping, biting.

Dale stared in horror as blood started coming up around the water of the boat. He looked at his friends, who had all been shocked sober by Gohan's actions.

"Gohan!" Allen said. Dale restrained his son. He didn't want to lose another one.

"Crazy fuck." One of the men said.

"Ok, let's all get our stories straight. We all saw him jump in. He did it on his own. We couldn't do anything…"

The water exploded upward in a spray of bloody foam, and all the men reared back as a huge shape flew out of the water.

It crashed on the deck, squashing the original mutilated shark body. It spasmed one more time and did not move.

Everyone stared at it.

"Holy shit, that's a fucking mako." One of them whispered. It was. A mako that was at least fifteen feet long and whose head and upper body had been ripped to shreds.

And then Gohan's hand came out of the water and pulled himself up onto the boat.

The water running off of him still wasn't enough to rinse the blood that soaked his hands and face. He looked like a vampire that had gone on a feeding frenzy.

His eyes were hard and cold, as he stepped down on the deck.

Blood dripped from his hands.

"No way."

Gohan glanced at who had spoke. It was Stan or Sturn, looking in utter disbelief at Gohan. The shark had been utterly ravaged. Gohan, a twelve year old, didn't have a scratch on him. The only blood on him was the shark's.

"You didn't do that. You couldn't have fucking done that."

Gohan's eyes blazed.

Then he reared back and sprayed the blood that was in his mouth, spraying it all over Stan or Sturn. He recoiled as he was coated with shark blood.

"Is that enough proof?" Gohan said quietly. Slowly, he walked over, and without effort picked up the two corpses and heaved them overwater. He'd done what he had to do, and he didn't want to think about it any more.

"I think we've had enough fishing. Let's go home." Gohan said. It wasn't a request. It was a command.

"Oh, and Dale?"

You could see Dale gulp.

"Let your son be what he wants to be."

The boat's engine started up as it began to turn.

And so that was how it had gone.

Gohan had not said a word the entire trip back, sitting quietly in a chair. When they had arrived back in port, Gohan had thanked Allen and said goodbye, heading off on his own. He was worried he had scared Allen, and that Allen wouldn't want to friends any more. But he could worry about that later. It had never been about Allen. It had been about Dale and his friends.

He had ignored his mother's questions when he arrived, quietly changing and throwing away his blood-splattered clothes before he flew off to be alone. He didn't want to burden his mother. She had her own problems. She didn't need to know about what had happened.

And now, Gohan stood on a cliff, watching the sun set. He was back in control now. And with his mind cleared, what he had done just hours ago scared him.

And as he looked at his actions and his fears, he heard the slight ruffling noise as it came up from behind him.

"Hello Piccolo."

Piccolo stood as Gohan turned and gave a slight bow of respect.

"Gohan…………..are you ok?"

"I think so." Gohan said. "I suppose you want to know what happened out there."

"I already know."

Gohan glanced curiously at Piccolo.

"Your mother…asked me to keep an eye on you. I saw everything."

"I see. Did you tell her?"

"No…but…Gohan, what was that…that…"

Piccolo could find no words for what he had seen. The gentle boy he had trained to fight, the gentle boy who he still knew, who stood before him right now, had temporarily turned into a savage monster. A savage killing monster.

It had been brief…

But it had still happened. To Son Gohan.

"I was wondering with the same degree of shock and horror until a short time ago, Piccolo. Why did I do that? Why I? Vegeta…he would do something like that. But…why would I? They insulted my father Piccolo, but still…did I need to go into that water, battle that shark in its element, and kill it so viciously? I think…the answer is yes."

Gohan turned away. Piccolo looked at him.

"I'm a hybrid of two races, Piccolo. My saiya-jin ancestors were savage killers themselves. But…there is more to it then that. I think my human side…had more to do with it."

He glanced back at Piccolo.

"We show to society the parts of us that we find acceptable. I am still Son Gohan. I have not lost that part of me. I still do not like fighting. But Piccolo…we all have the other side to us. You saw it with Cell. That boy was as much a part of me as who I was on that boat. But Piccolo…it is there. It is for everyone. In a way…we all have our own sharks…swimming in the dark deep corners of ourselves…our hearts and souls. And I realize…sometimes we have to feed the sharks. Feed them, so they stay where they are."

Piccolo was silent. Gohan looked back at the sunset.

"I think that's why. I'm feeding my sharks, Piccolo. I'm letting my dark side get a bit of power, so it will stay placid. Because if you don't feed your sharks Piccolo…they get hungry."

Piccolo cocked his head. Such a paradox this boy was…and yet, so much of an invitability. He didn't have to fear Gohan losing his mind. He had it under control. Indeed, he understood it far better then Piccolo had.

Still…in a small corner of his mind, Piccolo thought of the power Gohan had at such a young age…the tragedy and misery he had suffered…and what that could very well breed.

Those sharks may be fed…but who says they wouldn't want more?

Who said they would ever be saitisfied?

It scared him.

"And if the sharks get hungry, Piccolo, you won't be able to control them. They'll come out whether you want them or not. You must never let that happen, Piccolo. Do what you must to prevent it. Whether it is becoming a sadist on a battlefield…or a maniac on the field of survival…don't let the sharks get hungry. Because you know what hungry sharks do."

Piccolo never saw the very faint smirk that lit up Gohan's face. Just one last morsel.

"They bite."

__

The End…Or Did It Ever End?


End file.
